Part 1: The Grand Voting Post
Two groups whose work has brought me many hours of enjoyment.
Greetings, everyone! I’d also like to welcome you to something that is rather different from my usual fare, but which truly deserves to be shown off. There is an attract mode here, but let’s refrain from spoiling everything straight out of the gate…
Instead, let us examine our choices. You see, Live-A-Live offers the player seven scenarios straight after beginning a new game, with no direction as to which order to play them in. It really does not matter, and we will need to play all of them before the LP can reach its conclusion… But which to pick first?
Naturally, this calls for thread participation! Let us waste no time, and make with the introductions. In order of their music’s appearance on the soundtrack, they are…
The shinobi remain in the shadows even amidst the upheaval of societal change. To one such man, secret orders are given. Sneak past countless guards and traps to rescue the hostage! Can he kill 100 men?
The main character of each scenario is renamable, but this purple-haired gentleman is called Oboro by default. Oboro’s scenario is one of the longer and more involved ones, and offers the opportunity for mass murder or a clean hands run depending on the player’s playstyle. However, the best path lies somewhere in the middle… But more on that when we get there. Expect screwing up passwords, contemplating the slaughter of innocents and a touch of the supernatural.
A fierce youth has entered a global fighting tournament to experience and learn the combat styles of the world. He will see many unique techniques, and will use them to achieve the ultimate goal: The title of “Strongest in the World!”
Masaru’s chapter is one of the shortest, and may appeal to people who enjoy Mega Man and/or sweet wrasslin’ moves. As you might expect, it’s almost entirely about combat against a bunch of weirdos of varying nationalities. Expect stereotypes and silly attack names.
The Stone Age. The day a free-spirited boy and his friend Gori come of age has arrived… In a time before spoken communication, man possessed a keen nose indeed. Through his sense of smell, man could find any beast or avoid lurking danger.
This short and scruffy fellow is Pogo, and the lack of dialogue in his chapter will make cutscenes interesting to present in screenshots. Expect .gifs, hunting, wild behaviour and general indecency. It’s also another long chapter.
Behold the transport ship Cogito Ergosum, en route to planet Earth. Inside, a new kind of life-form is being created. The robot created by Kato the mechanic will become intimately involved as events spiral out of control on board…
The ironically named Cube might have had the shortest chapter if it wasn’t so dialogue heavy. Indeed, it is possible to have only one fight in Cube’s chapter at all… Though there are a few others that can be sought out. This one is all about the storytelling and atmosphere, despite being set in space.
In ancient China, an aged martial artist lives high atop a windy peak. He has begun to feel the need of a suitable successor for his technique. His disciples train hard, but only one will come to harness their master’s power.
Master Xin Shan Quan actually has an ‘average’ length chapter (surprisingly), and shares his name with the martial art he created. So be aware we’re renaming both those things at once… and that we will have to choose a successor for him. Expect an old man being badass. And tigers.
In a time when the West was wild and criminals were many… A haggard traveler with a price on his head wanders into Success Town, the recent target of a notorious outlaw gang. Work quickly to set traps and take down the Crazy Bunch!!
This mysterious man is none other than the Sundown Kid, and his scenario runs on a timer. Work fast, or suffer the consequences… Not a lot of combat in this one, and it’s also rather tiny. If you like Westerns, you’re going to love the music in this one.
In the not-too-distant future lives a boy with the power to read other peoples’ thoughts. His teenage years are troubled, and he gets into many fights. And yet over his shoulder silently watches a sleeping giant, the robotic Buruki Daioh…
The kid with a scar on his forehead and special powers is Akira, and his chapter is another of reasonable length. There will be drugs, fighting in the streets, motorcycles, a cult and at least one giant mecha.
Voting Time! So, we need to decide upon our first scenario and possibly new names for our seven protagonists. New names are a maximum of six letters. Voting goes for… however long I feel like, really. A few days at least. I’ll be keeping a tally, so being specific with your votes will be helpful.